March 2018

Rejoining and rejoicing

Tata Capital is getting women back into the field after a career break through Tata Second Careers, Inspiring Possibilities programme

Starting a second career can be quite a challenge, but life is all about conquering challenges – right? Charged with an undeterred spirit and 'having been there' and 'done that' early in their career, diving back into a professional working environment was seamless for Preeti Waghmare, Darshna Kartik and Ashwini Bhalchandra — thanks to Second Careers. Inspiring Possibilities (SCIP). These three women joined Tata Capital through the SCIP programme by working on a project, and are now full-time employees with the company.

Tata SCIP is a pioneering initiative that provides a platform for women who have taken a career break to return to the corporate world on their terms. A large number of competent, committed and ambitious women decide to remain outside the workforce for a number of reasons such as marriage, motherhood, location constraints, etc. Many who are looking for a way to harmonise professional and personal lives hesitate as they are unsure of the opportunities available. Tata SCIP has been designed to make the hiring and on-boarding process of women resuming work smoother, faster and efficient.

Tata Capital effectively uses the Tata SCIP platform as a part of its hiring strategy to get access to a rich talent pool and to increase diversity in its workforce. Santosh Kamath, senior VP, CFD – IT, who has two women in his team from SCIP who are now full-time employees, says, "The maturity and experience that they bring coupled with domain expertise, enhanced team engagement and performance, makes it easier for us to absorb them into our team as full-time employees.'

Tata Capital has benefitted from the SCIP programme by encouraging women to return to work and integrating them into the corporate environment. The team understands that proper mentorship and handholding coupled with some flexibility during the project period is what is needed to ensure a successful comeback. Hence, the company has adopted an approach where it gradually ramps up responsibilities, thereby giving candidates the time to regain their confidence and develop their capabilities.

"Tata SCIP provides access to a large and hitherto untapped talent pool. Hiring from SCIP has not only helped us meet talent needs for our projects, but also given us the opportunity to assess the candidates for permanent positions.

Recently, three candidates have joined Tata Capital as full-time employees after completing their SCIP projects. "We are looking forward to leveraging the multiple formats under this programme and encourage more returning women to join us," says Avijit Bhattacharya, CHRO, Tata Capital.

The managers at Tata Capital play a key role in sensitising team members. Teams that have hired from the programme have certainly benefitted as the women have the combination of work experience, commitment, and maturity, which all hiring managers look for. Tata Capital has been hiring from SCIP to meet its short-term and long-term talent needs, and it has been a win-win situation for the company as well as the candidates.

The Tata Affirmative Action Programme commits Tata companies to exercising positive discrimination in employing personnel from historically disadvantaged communities and in engaging them as business partners, without sacrificing merit or quality